For Seniors: Explore the iPad Status Bar

Across the top of the iPad screen is the Status bar. Tiny icons in this area can provide useful information, such as the time, battery level, and wireless-connection status.

So what is this Status bar telling you?

Wi-Fi: This icon, shown here on the far left, looks like waves radiating upward from a small dot. The Wi-Fi icon lets you know that you’re currently connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Activity: The next icon shown on the far left looks like a spinning light. When this icon appears on the Status bar, you'll know that some task is in progress — a web page is loading, for example.

Time: In the middle of the Status bar is the Time icon. You guessed it: the Time icon displays the current time.

Screen Rotation Lock: This icon, the first one shown on the far right, looks like a padlock inside of a circle. This icon tells you that the screen is locked and that the screen image will not rotate when you turn the iPad.

Play: When this right-pointing arrow shows up, it indicates that some kind of media (music or video) is playing.

Battery Life: The icon that looks like a battery, located on the far right, is just that: the Battery Life icon. It displays the charge percentage remaining in the battery. The indicator changes to a lightning bolt when the battery is charging.

If you have GPS, 3G, or Bluetooth service or a connection to a virtual private network (VPN), a corresponding symbol appears on the Status bar whenever one of these features is active. The 3G icon appears only with 3G-enabled iPad models. (If you can’t even conceive of what a virtual private network is, don’t worry about it.)